Internet scams are on the rise. 45% of adults in the US encounter scams daily. Online fraud includes any intentional action taken online to trick someone into harmful actions resulting in financial loss, acquiring personal or confidential information, or causing any other damage. Online tricksters are savvy, and often, fraud is hard to spot. This blog post is a guide to help you recognize and avoid internet scams.
Understanding Internet Scams
Internet fraud or scams take place online in various ways. Scams may include email, identity theft, phishing, or other hacking activities designed to cause the victim personal, financial, or other harm. Internet scams are not new. However, in recent years, scamming activities have increased, and scammers have become more calculating—often making recognizing and avoiding internet scams difficult.
Some of the most common scams today are:
- Phishing Scams: Phishing is a trick scammers use to obtain sensitive information like passwords, personal information (SSN, address, etc.), credit card numbers, or other information.
- Charity Scams: Charity fraud is faux fundraising that often mimics real charities but may appear as a “good cause” in response to recent disasters or needs like wildfires or hurricanes.
- Payment App Scams: Scammers often use popular mobile payment apps to collect money from unsuspecting victims by having victims send money in response to requests from a loved one in trouble or posing as a prize or sweepstake company.
- Tax, IRS, Social Security, or other Government Agency Scams: Scammers often post as a government agency like the FTC, Social Security Administration, IRS, or Post Office. They will call or send texts with links requesting money.
- Job or Hiring Scams: Job scams are fraudulent offers for employment intended to mislead someone into giving money, sharing personal information, or providing free labor.
- Shopping Scams: Shopping scams occur through faux online stores or may appear as copycats of legitimate stores. Shopping scams often collect money from unsuspecting online shoppers but may infect devices with malware collecting personal information.
- Cybersecurity or Malware Scams: Malware is the use of software to gain unauthorized access to a computer system. It may include computer viruses, spyware, ransomware, or other software secretly installed onto devices.
- Social Media Scams: Scrolling through social media, you often see posts for perfect vacation spots, discounted luxury products, and other enticing pictures and videos—all to get you to click the link.
- Mobile App Scams: App scams involve fake apps designed to look like legitimate apps but work as phishing tools capturing your personal information.
Recognizing Internet Scams: Signs of a Scam
Identifying internet scams is becoming more complex. It is crucial to stay vigilant and up-to-date on spotting and avoiding scams.
Red flags to help you identify and avoid potential scams:
- Unsolicited emails or messages appearing as urgent requests or time-sensitive offers, especially from unknown sources.
- If an offer seems too good to be true, including massive discounts on name-brand items.
- You are receiving unusual text messages or emails from what appears to be your bank or government agency.
- Any call, email, or text requesting a password, personal information, or payment information.
- Emotionally manipulative requests.
Online scammers will attempt to use authority to build trust by posing as a trusted government agency or company. They will also try to create a sense of urgency to get you to act quickly before you realize you are being scammed. Another tactic scammers use is an aggressive tone to convince you to give them information.
How to Avoid Scams
Avoiding scams is challenging but possible. If you receive emails from people you don’t know or any source you are not sure is legitimate—do not open it. You can try to contact the sender by other means by quickly searching the company name. Never click links in a text or email unless you know it is legitimate. Taking care to validate the originating URL of links when clicking any live link is essential to avoid internet scams.
Another critical step in avoiding scams is to secure your personal information, including your date of birth, social security number, account number, and passwords. Never provide personal information through new links. Also, be cautious and never provide information on phone calls with anyone outside trusted, verified sources.
Using strong passwords and multifactor authentication can help keep your accounts secure. Maintaining up-to-date software helps protect your devices. Antivirus software, firewalls, and email filtering are ways to protect your personal information and yourself from internet scams.
What to Do if You Encounter a Scam
If you have been the victim of an online scam or recognize a scam is in progress, it is vital to act quickly. The first step is to secure any accounts the scammer may have access to by contacting your bank or credit card company. It may be prudent to freeze your credit to avoid scammers using your information to obtain credit using your personal information.
The exact steps to take when encountering a scam depend on the fraud you uncovered. For example, if you paid a scammer, you must report fraudulent charges to your bank and ask for a reversal. If you paid a scammer, your bank can walk you through the necessary steps.
Sharing personal information such as PINs or login credentials necessitates promptly updating passwords with new solid passwords and multifactor authentication on your accounts. If you provided your social security number to a scammer, contact Identitytheft.com.
Another step you can take after experiencing a scam is to report it to the Federal Trade Commission. Reporting scams to the FTC is helpful because the FTC can use the information to stop scammers and educate the public about active scams.
Support for Stepdads
Internet scams are increasingly sophisticated and on the rise. Knowledge and vigilance are essential for recognizing and avoiding internet scams. Understanding common scams, warning signs, and how to prevent them, we can empower ourselves and our families as we navigate digital spaces.
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